Status

Summary

The purpose of this enactment is to provide for the consideration of proportional representation in the House of Commons. A standing committee of the House will be designated to consider the matter and to report with recommendations after public hearings.

A referendum may be held and the question shall be whether electors favour replacing the present system with a system proposed by the Proportional Representation Committee as concurred in by the House.

The referendum must be held at the same time as the next general election.

Mr. Speaker, the purpose of the bill is to move forward the idea of electoral reform by designating a standing committee to deal with the subject of whether Canada wants to change its electoral system to a system of proportional representation.

The bill is to advance an idea in which many Canadians are interested and it would be a legislative framework through which we could realistically study the idea of do we or do we not want to change our electoral system.